Two arrested as investigation into ‘QatarGate’ in Israel deepens

Two close associates of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been remanded in custody for three days, following their arrest on Monday by Israeli police in connection with an investigation into suspected unlawful ties between the senior aides and Qatar, a case that has become known as QatarGate.

Two close associates of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have been remanded in custody for three days, following their arrest on Monday by Israeli police in connection with an investigation into suspected unlawful ties between the senior aides and Qatar, a case that has become known as QatarGate. An Israeli court on Tuesday extended the initial detention of Yonatan Urich, Netanyahu’s closest adviser, and former aide Eli Feldstein by three days, saying their release would disrupt an investigation into their suspected involvement in conducting public relations for Qatar. The judge denied the police’s original request for a nine-day detention to conduct their investigation. In court, the judge stated that a review of the classified materials submitted indicated reasonable suspicion that an American company had contacted one of the suspects to spread negative messages about Egypt, and downplay its role in mediation efforts to release all the October 7 hostages and reach a permanent ceasefire. Court documents show that Yonatan and Feldstein are suspected by prosecutors to have taken bribes and “worked to transfer messages to journalists in a manner that presented sympathetic articles about Qatar in the media, minimizing Egypt’s role as a fair mediator in the deal, while dictating the media agenda.” The judge declared that a previous gag order on the proceedings had been rendered meaningless because it had been widely disregarded. Israeli police and courts have so far declined to respond to CNN’s requests for exact details of the charges.